Android TV

A leak today showed the next major Google product running the smart TV system Android TV. Included are a single Android TV dongle and an Android TV remote. Together, these would allow Android TV to be run on any modern TV just so long as the user had wireless internet access. It's likely this device package will launch inside the month of July, 2020.

A little more than a year ago, Google revealed plans to bring one-click subscriptions to its Android TV platform. The feature has been missing in the long months since then, something that has finally changed in a small way. The company has confirmed that it is testing one-click subscriptions with "select" partners; it has also published a support document related to the feature.

Android TV's latest update brings background Chromecast audio streaming to the platform. For most users, the idea that one might like to "cast" audio to one's TV wasn't much of an issue. If you were using the Spotify app for Android TV, you could've potentially sent your favorite songs to your television and listen to that song while other apps are open in the foreground - but now you can do it with all SORTS of music apps.

Today plans for a next-generation Android TV device (or Google TV device, depending on future branding) was revealed in a leak. The leak suggested that the dongle would address the missing piece of Google's smart TV lineup - the tiny, easy-to-use smart TV dongle that sells in massive amounts with Amazon and Roku, the "stick". Google already has a sort of dongle device in the Google Chromecast - but it's just not the same as the Fire TV stick - and not nearly as simple to understand right out the gate.

There has been a surge in purchases of entertainment consumer electronics these past months because of the prospect of being bored at home. Many of these involve the likes of smart TV and consoles like the Nintendo Switch but some have also opted to finally get their hands on NVIDIA's latest Android TV device. Much to their surprise and dismay, some outlets have listed the SHIELD TV Pro as "discontinued" but NVIDIA is quick to assure them that it isn't the case at all.

Google announced some new features for its product today, including an update to Android TV that adds three new rows to its interface. The update is targeted specifically at users who are stuck at home in quarantine, making it easier for them to find free content to watch, to stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 news, and to browse videos tailored for the stay-home experience.

The latest version of the Google cloud streaming game platform Stadia had a few bits of code that'll soon lead to greatness. In the mix were two major feature upgrades in the form of touchscreen controls and more support for Android TV. Or any support, that is to say, since at the moment there's... very little.

I don't have a smart TV, but I have an NVIDIA SHIELD. This little piece of hardware was released in October of 2019 as the most compact version of the NVIDIA SHIELD device line yet produced. It's more than an alternative to products like Amazon Fire TV Stick/Cube, or Apple TV. It's a doorway to the world's best streaming content, complete with a feature that makes old content look better than it's ever looked before.

Xiaomi's new Mi 10 series of smartphones may have made a splash today with their unexpectedly affordable 5G, but the company also had a much bigger screen to show off. The Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 65" is the latest expansion in the Chinese manufacturer's scheme to take over the smart home, complete with Android and some slick specs.

It may not be as ubiquitous as its smartphone original, especially in a volatile TV market, but Android TV admittedly has the lion's share of the smart TV market. That's not exactly surprising given the different forms Google's platform takes, from dongles to actual hulking TVs. It isn't the only option in the market, of course, but one long-time rival is curiously absent from the TV segment. Amazon's Fire TV has been unable to outgrow its dongle and set-top box forms and sources say it's because of Google's questionable tactics.

A rumor today suggests that Google may finally have an answer for the Amazon Fire TV Stick and other dongle-like smart TV platforms. This device would be a follow-up to the Google Chromecast Ultra, a relatively small device that plugs into an HDMI port at the back of a television and requires its own power source - generally provided by a power cord also included in the box. That device does not run Android TV - this new device might.

The NCAA has announced that its March Madness app, which enables basketball fans to watch their favorite games over the Internet, has released one of its best features for the Fire TV and Android TV platforms. With this new feature, fans can watch two different games at the same time, something that was previously limited to only the Apple TV version of the streaming app.